Duty
by PuppetJutsu
Summary: The duty of a branch member Hyuuga is learnt and reinforced throughout their entire lives. Sometimes, duty can be left to interpretation. An one-shot OC Hyuuga story. Contains some violence.


She felt the air shift as the strike missed her by mere millimeters. Dropping into a crouch she thrust back, calloused fingers digging into Kafun's thigh, injecting her chakra into the flesh. He pulled the leg back and lashed out with a kick, catching her in the shoulder, knocking her backwards. Quickly recovering, she threw up her guard, expecting him to follow through. Instead, he stayed in place, his white eyes trained on her, veins bulging from his temples.

"Do you really expect to defeat me this time, Jiyuu?" he laughed. "You haven't beaten me in years."

"_Did you expect to beat him, hmm? A branch member defeating a member of the head family?" Elder Hirame's lips curled into the familiar leer Jiyuu had come to know intimately. He gave a scoff that sounded halfway between a snort and a choke. "Absurd. On your feet."_

_Jiyuu dragged her battered body from the ground, her legs trembling, her bottom lip quivering. Reactivating her Byakugan, she assessed Kafun's posture and took her position. Defeat was a bitter taste on her tongue and the old man's judgmental gaze made it that much harder to swallow. Lunging forward once more she began to strike, the flowing movements of the Gentle Fist etched into her muscles. Kafun, however, was slippery like an eel, wheeling and weaving and dodging her strikes. Jiyuu pushed her seven year old body to its limit. For every hit she missed, the next came harder, faster. Seizing an opening, she drove her palm into Kafun's chest with more force than was necessary._

_She watched in shock as he stumbled backwards and dropped to the ground, dead weight. He gave a spastic twitch and coughed specks of blood and spittle onto the dirt. Jiyuu felt her blood freeze. Her knees wobbled and almost buckled. Coming to her senses she started towards the fallen boy. Suddenly fire raged through her skull, every cell screaming, every nerve burning. She felt the air rush from her lungs and strain her throat in what she was sure was a scream. She was unable to hear anything through the agony. Her vision became blazing white nothingness. Muscles finally gave up and Jiyuu collapsed to the ground in a tangle of limbs._

_As quickly as it had struck, the pain subsided. The world came back into focus. A high keening moan came from her own lips as she drooled into the dirt. She could see Kafun's pale face staring at her in concern. The elder held the hand seal he had formed, his mouth twisted in displeasure._

_"You let your emotions get the better of you, Jiyuu," he said gravely. "See that it never happens again. Now, get up."_

She didn't allow herself rise to his bait. Reaching into her pouch she grabbed a handful of shuriken and tossed them towards Kafun. He smirked before shifting his weight, preparing his defense. Chakra began to leak from his body and Jiyuu's Byakugan saw his tenketsu open up for the technique. As he spun, Kafun's Kaiten knocked all of her projectiles out of the air. Ending the technique, he gave another smug grin. He had never been able to resist showing off his technique.

"_Kafun?"_

_"Damn it! You always spot me before I can sneak up on you. It's as if you always have your Byakugan activated."_

_"Maybe I do. Or perhaps you are simply inept at stealth," she retorted, the corner of her mouth lifting into a tiny smile. It was a game that Kafun had developed, trying to catch her unaware. She wasn't quite sure why, but indulged him all the same. "Where have you been?"_

_"Learning a new technique," he beamed, radiating excitement as he sat beside her. "Hirame has started showing me how to use the Hakkesho Kaiten in preparation for the Chuunin exams." He suddenly became shamefaced. "I'm sorry. I forget that you aren't allowed to learn it."_

_Jiyuu shrugged her shoulders. "Do not worry about it, it doesn't matter. Besides," she added, "you need every advantage you can get."_

_Kafun's laughter filled the courtyard, bouncing from the cold, hard surfaces, warm and melodic. "Sure, because you've been such a challenge to win against lately."_

_"One day I might just surprise you."_

_The sun was slowly making its decent into dusk, yet the air was still pleasantly warm. A light breeze caressed Jiyuu's skin, invisible fingers running through her long hair and across her forehead. Lilacs and lavender perfumed the compound with their gentle fragrance. Slaps and grunts punctuated the silence as unseen Hyuuga trained somewhere in the grounds. It was peaceful and quiet, a day for contemplation._

_"Kiiroi is being given his cursed seal today," Kafun said quietly, gauging her reaction._

_"I know."_

_He shook his head slowly, as if the answer did not satisfy him. "And that doesn't bother you at all?"_

_She could see the concern in his eyes, the fear that somehow she blamed him for the fate of all branch members within the clan. For a member of the head family, Kafun had always been a sentimental fool._

_"It is the fate of the branch family, Kafun. You know that as well as I do."_

_The boy nodded his assent, brows furrowed. Jiyuu could see that deep down he would never accept the answer. Would never understand why such a divide should exist in the Hyuuga. Not for the first time, she could see how much it pained him, how much guilt he carried in his blood. Twelve years old and trying to fight against the tide of tradition. He always had been the optimist._

_He reached a hand out and ran his fingers along the her bare forehead, tracing the lines of her cursed seal. Jiyuu closed her eyes and let herself feel his touch, his fingers softer than she had expected._

_"You never cover it up."_

_"I do not need to. I am not ashamed of it," she replied, questioning the words as she said them. It was true that most branch members hid their seals underneath their forehead protectors. Jiyuu had never been able to understand the reason. Seal or forehead protector, both branded them, made it clear that they were not, nor would they ever be, members of the main house of Hyuuga._

_"Do you remember what happened when you received it?"_

_"No." Only that she had been taken into one of the head family's halls to be sealed. The next thing she could remember was being in bed, a bandage around her head and a slight throbbing in her skull. No memory of the sealing itself. No knowledge of how the seal itself worked. Only that it did._

_A procession of stern, dark robed Hyuuga crossed through the courtyard, headed for one of the main buildings. A small boy, Kiiori, held his uncle's hand, not knowing what was happening, only that he was the center of attention for this occasion. They entered the hall, one elder pausing and directing a glare towards Jiyuu and Kafun. Kafun rose to his feet with a sigh._

_"I'd better go, I don't need Hirame giving me any more grief than usual. I'll see you later."_

_"Alright," was all Jiyuu replied. She watched Kafun race towards the other, saw Hirame clip him around the ear and hustle him through the door. The old man lingered in the threshold before sending one more venomous look towards her. With that, he shut the door behind him. One more child would be added to the ranks of the branch house._

_Focusing chakra to her eyes, Jiyuu activated her Byakugan and tried to peer through the walls. As expected, a barrier had been erected. An impenetrable barricade that prevented branch members from witnessing the secret ritual. Branch members like her._

_Increasing the chakra flow to her eyes she sat and stared at the veiled building._

Tossing another handful of shuriken, Jiyuu watched and waited. Predictably, Kafun began another Kaiten. Seeing his rotation begin to slow, she charged forward, timing her attack to catch him off guard. Kafun barely had time to deflect the strike, knocking aside and retreating to give himself space. She stuck close, not allowing him time to recover. Yet he still managed to weave his way around her attacks. He moved with a fluid grace, never remaining in one position long enough to hit. Like a ribbon in the wind.

She saw where the strike would land, but was unable to move fast enough to avoid it. Kafun's fingertips dug into her shoulder. He drew his arm back, ready to thrust it into her stomach. Acting on instinct, Jiyuu opened her tenketsu, releasing the energy from her body. Kafun gave a yelp as his fingers planted into her gut. As he leaped back his smirk changed into confusion. He held his hand out in front of himself. The bandages wrapped around his wrist were lightly singed, the skin on his fingers burnt bright red. He looked up at her, perplexed.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"_What the hell are you doing?" The words were muted, but through her agony Jiyuu swore she could hear Kafun's voice. The pain ceased abruptly, causing her to drop to her knees, trying to regain a sense of the world._

_Elder Hirame's sycophantic voice oozed through the sludge in Jiyuu's mind. "Young master Kafun, you should not be up and about in your condition. You are still injured and if anything should-"_

_"I asked you what the hell you were doing!" Kafun interupted. His voice was coarse and husky, but the threat it carried was none the less for it. Jiyuu had never heard him raise his voice like that."She saved my life, and this is how you repay her?"_

_"If she had been more attentive then you would not have been ambushed. It is her failure young master, not yours."_

_"We both fell into that trap, damn it! If it wasn't for her I'd be dead."_

_"It is the branch family's duty to protect the head family, in all-"_

_"I'm alive aren't I?" Kafun screamed._

_Silence stretched the moment out, long and awkward. Slowly Jiyuu's vision came back into focus. Kafun stood defiant in the face of the elder, bandages wrapped around his bare torso. His chocolate coloured hair stuck out at all angles. A look of pure venom was in his eyes, a rage she had never imagined could grace his gentle face. Elder Hirame had his back to her. Dropping his head, the old man muttered a soft apology to Kafun and shuffled off, not once looking back at her._

_Kafun knelt down beside Jiyuu, grunting in pain, and helped her to her feet. Vertigo swept over her and it was all she could do to keep her balance. Strong hands clutched at her arms, keeping her upright. The anger had left his face, the worried concern she was familiar with returning. Together they limped their way across the compound to her room on the branch member's side._

_An assortment of books and scrolls were scattered across the floor, kunai and shuriken heaped in piles in the far corner. Aside from her futon, the only other piece of furniture was a small table, stacked with more books and small squares of papers, as well as a single orchid in a vase. Ashes were scattered on the floor around the table. Gingerly, Kafun lowered her onto the futon, seating himself on the edge. He lifted a scroll from the floor and glanced over it._

_"Sealing techniques?" he asked, trying to break the silence. She gave a weak shrug._

_"Never know when they might come in handy."_

_With a gentle nod he placed it back. Tenderly, he raked his fingers through her hair. The tears that she had been holding back finally fell free. Tears of anger, of hate. Of shame._

_"I'm sorry," Kafun murmured._

_"Don't be, it isn't your fault." Jiyuu wiped the moisture from her eyes._

_"It is. I should have stopped him earlier. If I'd have known..."_

_"He would have waited until you were not around. Then he would have punished me regardless."_

_She could see the anger bristling in his eyes, in the way he chewed his bottom lip. Could sense his helplessness as he dropped his shoulders. He knew as well as she did that he could not change the Hyuuga. The clan would remain as it had for generations. His best intentions meant nothing in the end. He grabbed her hand and held it tight, his palm clammy against hers._

_"I'll protect you, I promise."_

_"Fool," she murmured, her voice sounding dead to her ears, "I'm a branch member and a Chuunin. I'm the one who is supposed to protect you, remember?"_

She gave a smirk of her own and let a steady stream chakra flow freely from her body. Flicking her hands through a sequence of seals, she ignited it. A cloak of fire engulfed her. "I created my own technique."

Kafun opened his mouth, as if to say something. She could see his surprise, his awe and admiration. He stood rooted to the spot, his white eyes wide as he took in the technique. "Nature manipulation? When did you manage that?" He sounded impressed.

"A long time ago. I have learned a number of things over the years."

She came at him, using a Body Flicker to catch him off guard. At the last second Kafun managed to deflect the blow so that it missed a tenketsu. She caught him in the arm, her Gentle Fist now augmented with fire-natured chakra, searing him internally. Now she took the offensive, striking at him with a renewed speed. She saw his face drop as he was suddenly unable to evade as easily as he previously had. He tried to fight back but his own strikes were met with the flames surrounding her body, scorching his hands every time he managed to land one. She landed a clean hit, then another. Two more landed. She slid around his attacks like water around a stone. Every time he missed her, she struck back, connecting with absolute precision. Her hands slammed into his thighs, burning chakra burying itself into his muscles. He dropped to his knees, shock written on his face. He quickly flung several kunai at her, trying to surprise her. Spinning as hard as she could, Jiyuu released her own Kaiten, a sphere of flame expanding out, knocking the weapons from the air and burning Kafun at the same time.

She sauntered over to where he lay on the ground. He stared up at her incredulously. "I don't understand."

"You do not need to."

"You...how did you...?" he panted. He tried to raise himself from the ground but slumped back down, unable. He would not be able to move for some time.

Jiyuu raised a finger and pointed to her eyes. "I watched, Kafun." She had been watching ever since she was a child, biding her time. "I watched you. That is how I learned." He always had been too proud of his Kaiten. "You only thought you were a better shinobi than me." She had known that she was stronger than him since they were Chuunin and had let him think otherwise. After all, it did not do to embarrass a member of the head family. Elder Hirame had taught her that.

She knelt beside him, pulling a kunai from her pouch. Sliding it over Kafun's arm, she watched the blood pour free. Dipping her fingers in the warm crimson that flowed from his wound, she began draw the necessary symbols onto her forehead. The placements of each was as familiar to her as breathing. Kafun watched her in confused silence, his eyes never shifting from her work. With the final placement, she flipped through the familiar hand seals and bit down on her lip. She felt a sharp pain, like burning needles, as the chakra-laced blood seeped into her skin. Yet she did not allow her concentration to break. She had waited too long for this moment. When the pain finally subsided, she released a breath of relief. Kafun laid with his mouth agape, the reality of what she had done sinking in.

"Kafun," she began, her voice almost a whisper, "I want you to activate my cursed seal." She had ensured that he had enough tenketsu open for this one task.

"No, I can't. I won't."

She slapped him across the face. Once, then a second time. Over and over. "I'm not asking. If you don't, I will kill you."

Kafun's gaze hardened. His scorched fingers bent into shape, the seal that Jiyuu had resented from the first time she witnessed it. She closed her eyes and waited, the memory of the pain all too familiar. She waited for blinding agony that the head family could inflict with one gesture. There was a pinch in her skull, an initial jab of pain and then, nothing. Opening her eyes, she watched as Kafun's pale eyes widened in disbelief. A chuckle escaped her throat. Then a giggle, until finally she was laughing harder than she ever had in her entire life.

Freedom.

"How?" Kafun's voice was tiny, a distant thing.

Jiyuu smiled, a demented smile that held no warmth. "Others train their Byakugan for distance. I trained mine to peer through the barriers as the sealing ritual took place. Lucky for me there are plenty of branch members. I had ample opportunities to train my eyes." The knowledge of the secret rituals, combined with years of studying sealing techniques had led her to devise her own seal, one that could be placed over the head family's to keep it in check. Until this moment she had not been sure it would work, and even now she was unsure how long it would hold. But it did not matter. Her gamble had paid off. "The blood of an unsealed Hyuuga was the medium I needed. Be proud Kafun, you have helped me in more ways than you could possibly imagine."

"What now?"

Jiyuu untied her forehead protector from her bicep. The sun glinted off the metal plate, the shining leaf symbol taunting her. Picking up the fallen kunai she had dropped, Jiyuu ran it across the face of the plate. A high squeal pierced the air as the blade left a long gash across the engraved leaf of Konoha, renouncing her loyalty to the village. After it was done, she took the blade to her forehead. She winced as the edge bit deep into the flesh, deep enough to scar, and dragged it across the markings that branded her a branch member. Blood ran down her face and into her eyes, but she felt no pain. Only relief.

Tears began to well in Kafun's eyes. Not that she blamed him. There was no way for him to see this betrayal coming, and she held no illusions. It was indeed a betrayal. To the one man who had tried to protect her from the cold, harsh realities of the Hyuuga Clan. The man who had done his best to change the clan for the better, the head family member who wanted all Hyuuga to be equal. Her only friend, and the man who had loved her unconditionally. She lifted him upright and gently brushed his cheek with her fingers, smearing blood onto his skin. Droplets of moisture fell onto her hand.

"I thought you were supposed to protect me," he wept. He sounded very much like the child he used to be.

She kissed him tenderly on the brow, then passionately on the lips. The taste of blood filled her mouth as it streamed down her face. She held the kunai to his pale neck. Her mouth brushed his ear as she whispered to him

"I am protecting you, Kafun. I am protecting you from the Hyuuga themselves."


End file.
